A Member of the European Parliament and his assistant have both been charged with false accounting and money laundering after an investigation into claims that they misused thousands of pounds of expenses.
Tom Wise, 60, who was hoping to stand for re-election in June, was elected for the UK Independence Party but now sits as an independent after being expelled from the party.
He and Lindsay Jenkins, his researcher, could face lengthy jail terms if found guilty.
The charges against Mr Wise, an MEP for the East of England, come less than two months before European elections for which an EU-wide survey has forecast a record low turnout. They follow a series of claims about the misuse of the generous expenses on offer in Brussels, including the Conservative Chief Whip Den Dover being required to pay back £445,000 in “unaccountable expenditure”.
* MEPs' choice: high salary or better pension
* Taxpayers must bail out MEPs' pension fund
It is the second time that a former UKIP MEP has faced criminal charges during the current parliamentary session. Ashley Mote, 73, who represents South East England as an independent, was found guilty of falsely claiming benefits of more than £65,000 and given a nine-month sentence in 2007. Mr Mote served his sentence and, because it was less than 12 months, was able to return as an MEP.